If you are a fan of Italian food you might want to mix up these cheesy Italian meatballs.Your home will be filled with the aroma of an Italian restaurant. Your kitchen will be warm and cozy from having the oven on and you will be rewarded with a scrumptious, delicious homemade Italian feast.

This recipe only uses 1 ounce of shredded cheese so you need it to be good quality aged cheese that is packed with flavor. Look at the specialty cheeses near the deli at your grocery store for an aged Asiago, Parmesan, Provolone or Romano they have a stronger, bolder flavor so you get more bang for your buck!

These are soft, moist meatballs and since they are baked off in the oven they are very easy to make.

See the little pockets of melted cheesy goodness in every meatball!

I used some of the meat balls for our dinner and I froze the rest to use for a future meal.

Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in a bowl; stir well. Shape mixture into 30 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.(I use my large cookie scoop) Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until done. No need to turn them.

These freeze well so go ahead and make a double batch and freeze half.

Once the meatballs are made you have many choices in how to serve them.

Simmer your favorite marinara sauce, jarred or homemade, place hot meatballs on toasted buns, top with hot marinara sauce and a sprinkle of your favorite cheese for a fabulous Italian sub.

Perhaps you are more in the mood for a pasta meal, drop some meatballs in marinara sauce and while it heats up cook up some of your favorite whole wheat pasta. Plate the pasta, top with a few meatballs and sauce.

If you need a casserole to serve a crowd, cook your pasta, combine with your favorite sauce, stir in some meatballs, place into a baking dish, top with shredded cheese and bake off until hot and bubbly.

Serve them as an appetizer with some warm marinara sauce to dip them in.

Nutmeg Notes

I have to share a story about this recipe. A few years ago I made up a double batch for a dinner we were hosting for a group of Katy’s college friends. Since I mixed up the meatballs earlier in the day I put them on baking trays and stored them in the refrigerator with plans to bake them closer to dinner time. When I went to get them out I discovered that a jar of pickles had tipped over onto one tray and had leaked pickle juice all over the tray! Thank goodness I had made a double batch and the other tray was unscathed. I think about that every time I make this recipe. Why does stuff like that always happen when you are having company?

Happy Cooking!

Tami

Add Your Thoughts

Do you have a favorite pasta shape?

Mine would have to be penne. I am not too fond of spaghetti noodles but they are a favorite of the guys so I trade off making penne and spaghetti – whole wheat of course!

I have never made meatballs. Saw a post with a recipe not long ago that looked like something might teen might actually eat so may try someday. Pasta shapes…. hmm… I like so many. Egg noodles maybe? I have never tried the ww kind and just don’t eat it anymore.

Thanks Carol! Natural light works the best but by the time we sit down to eat right now it’s dark out! Sometimes I wait until the next morning to get a photo in the natural light! All for the blog you know! It’s funny how many of the guys prefer spaghetti and the women like the little tube shape pasta.